Prisoners in Germany have launched a series of protests in solidarity with the hunger strikes demanding an end to the isolation imposed upon Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Ocalan. The prisoners also held a 3-day hunger strike.
Gefangenen-Gewerkschaft/Bundesweite Organisation, a union for political prisoners in Germany, launched a series of protests in prisons throughout the country in solidarity with the hunger strikes led by HDP MP Leyla Guven. The group for solidarity with prisoners in Berlin pointed to the severe human rights violations in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan and gave information about their solidarity protests.
The group for solidarity with prisoners demanding an immediate end to the aggravated isolation imposed upon Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan in the Imrali Prison announced that prisoners in various German institutions held a hunger strike from February 1 to 3 in solidarity.
Members of the union on the outside held hunger strikes to support the prisoners’ protests. The protesters pointed out that politicians and revolutionaries imprisoned in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan are not alone and stated that Ocalan should have the fundamental right to phone calls, newspapers, television and regular visits with his family and lawyers.
PRISONERS SEND LETTER TO COE TO “END THE ISOLATION”
The German political prisoners’ union also announced the launch of a series of protests to break the silence in the global community regarding the hunger strikes around the world, starting with DTK Co-chair and HDP MP Leyla Guven’s protest.
Prisoners in Chemnitz, Neumuenster and Rosdorf prisons sent a letter to the Council of Europe demanding an end to the aggravated isolation against Ocalan and a visit by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture to Imrali. The letter was signed by Peter Reitenbach and Sven Herhold in the name of the prisoners.
Prisoners in the Jena prison launched a campaign to write letters to Kurdish and Turkish revolutionaries in Germany’s prisons. German prisoners wrote to PKK, DHKP-C and TKP/ML prisoners and said, “Whatever culture or society we may come from, our struggle is the same and we should all be treated like human beings. With this goal in mind, we demand an end to the strict isolation imposed upon Ocalan.”
40 prisoners in the Tegel prison in Berlin sent letters to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan and Kurdish politicians and revolutionaries in prisons in Turkey and stressed the common struggle. German prisoners said there is isolation in Germany’s prisons as well and, writing about their issues, said the prisoners in Turkey “are not alone”.
